Final Four title game ratings saw major jump compared to last year

North Carolina’s 71-65 victory over Gonzaga didn’t have the last-second heroics of last year’s NCAA men’s basketball title game, but Monday’s contest had much higher ratings.

Ratings for CBS’ broadcast of the Final Four championship game were up 21% over last year, when Villanova beat North Carolina on TBS, according to a joint news release from CBS and Turner Sports on Tuesday. The game pulled in a 14.5 rating and 24 share in metered markets, which made it the third-highest-rated title game since 2005.

Overall, the tournament’s broadcasts on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV were up 13% over last year, with an average rating of 7.2 — tied for the second-highest rating since 2005.

The NCAA tournament streaming service, NCAA March Madness Live, set a new high for a title game with 4.4 million streams, a 29% increase over a year prior. NCAA March Madness Live delivered 98 million streams overall, 33% more than in 2016, according to CBS and Turner Sports.

Coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels garnered big ratings for their win against Gonzaga on Monday.